Beyond Metahumans
by lateVMlover
Summary: This is a short crossover that will explore the possibility of Joe's new partner Patty being much more than a mere cop. Her ties to the supernatural world will be useful when a demon comes to Starling City. How will Barry react to the truth that science can't explain everything? Barry/Patty pairing.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own the characters from it or any from** ** _BTVS_** **.**

 **This is something that just came to me. I love the** ** _Flash_** **and am completely captivated by the new police officer on the** ** _Flash_** **that Barry's dating this season. I enjoy writing** ** _BTVS_** **crossovers the most, so I decided to write something that has the new officer in the know with the supernatural world because she is a vampire slayer. As Barry keeps his secret from her, she is keeping a very big one from him. I think I'm going to write a few short chapters. This isn't long, but if there's enough interest, I'll write some more.**

Chapter 1: A Bloody Scene

Officer Patty Spivot was getting frustrated. The Slayer's Council had sent her to Central City to make sure all the metahumans were the result of real science and had no demon origin. She'd been an officer on the hellmouth in Cleveland for two years since Xander had decided that they needed some on the inside in the force. She and a few others had decided they'd go to the academy. It was a natural fit. When they'd sent her to Starling City, Xander had told her it could be short term. If she couldn't find any evidence of the supernatural, then they'd probably pull her in a few months.

She had finally gotten on Detective West's metahuman squad, but he was keeping something from her. She just knew it. Meeting Barry Allen, though, had changed everything. There was just something about him. He was so intelligent and sweet. There had been an instant connection between the two of them. In spite of her better judgement, she'd really begun to like him.

Then he'd lied to her. He'd told her that he was sick and disappeared for days. Even Detective West was in on the lie. Did they not realize she was more than a pretty face?

Ever since her parents had been killed by vampires when she was called as a slayer ten years ago, her life had not been her own. Willow and Xander had found her when she had been crying over her parents' dead bodies. They'd explained what was happening to her and why. She learned what was happening inside her and about her new destiny. Then they'd help her track and kill the vampires who'd killed her parents. After that, Xander took her in. He became her family. He and Willow had only been in Cleveland a few months, but they'd already established a slayer house. Buffy, the head slayer, came and trained with them. However, it was Xander and Willow who helped her channel her anger and heal from the loss of her parents. Whenever she got too low, Xander would do his Snoopy dance to make her laugh. Willow would tell her stories of their many adventures. She could say a lot in one breath. Life became bearable, but there was something always missing.

Then she met Barry. Things felt so right between them. Sometimes she felt like she was pushing him too hard. Maybe he didn't like her as much as she liked him. Since she'd spent the past decade with a babbler, she found herself taking on some babbling tendencies. It often was a turn off for most guys. Fortunately, Barry seemed to find her habit attractive. Sometimes he rambled himself. Patty thought they might be a perfect match. However, she didn't know how he'd respond when he found out about the reality of her crazy life.

But the lie... He came back and explained it away, apologizing. She kissed him back when he tried to make amends. When he took her out to dinner the next night, they'd had a good time.

"I think I really like you," Barry told her when he walked her to her door. Then his phone buzzed. She knew that he got an important message because he tensed up.

"Is everything okay?" she asked him.

"I hope so," he said. His mind raced as he debated what to say. She was Joe's partner. "Joe said there's a mangled body downtown in an alley."

"Oh. Let's go!" she said, excited to have a case. "A mangled body is probably a metahuman, right?"

Barry smiled at her. Her enthusiasm was so cute. "It's probably better if we don't arrive at the crime scene together," he told her.

Her cheeks flushed as she thought of the teasing. Cops could be the worst in that area—even worse than her sister slayers. "You're probably right. I'll run in and change and meet you there. Text me the address?" she asked.

"Sure," he said. He leaned down and placed a soft kiss on her lips. "I had a really great time."

"Me, too," she said, smiling up at him. God, he was so cute. Willow would totally approve. He was science nerd like her. Patty was more like Xander—science was cool when it led to science fiction and otherworldly things. The metahumans excited Xander as much as it did her.

She went into her house to change while Barry sped off. When he made it to the crime scene, he was sickened. The poor man had been ripped a part. It was a gory mess.

"Do we have any idea who this poor guy is?" Barry asked Joe.

"A homeless man is the prevailing theory," Joe said.

"Any idea who or what did this?" Barry asked.

"Well, we had a sharkman, so there's no telling," Joe said with a sigh.

"Patty is on her way," he said.

"You called her?" Joe asked in surprise.

"I was taking her home when I got your message. Shouldn't you be calling her? She's your partner," Barry pointed out.

"I guess it's hard for me to get used to having a partner again after what happened to Eddie," Joe said. His last partner had felt killing himself was the only way to stop his time traveling future heir. Killing himself had stopped the Reverse Flash. However, his selfless action had hurt all of them. Joe's daughter Iris especially. Barry could tell that Joe was wary of getting attached to another partner.

"Patty isn't Eddie, but she's smart and determined like he was," Barry said.

"Speaking of Patty," Joe said as he saw her approach the crime scene.

When Patty looked at the scene, her slayer senses were buzzing. There's no way a metahuman did this much damage.

After she took down her own notes and got a report from Joe, she stepped away from the scene to call Xander. "Xander, I think we might have a demon killing in Central City," she shared.

****** _To Be Continued******_


	2. Chapter 2

**The back story revealed on the Flash recently is obviously different from this, so remember it's an AU. I'll use the show's version as I see fit creatively. Thanks for reading! This chapter is longer, and I hope you like it!  
**

Chapter 2: Secrets

 _*****The Next Day*****_

Patty was awaken from a deep sleep by the ringing of the phone. With blurry eyes, she reached for it.

"H-hello," she said. Then she cleared her throat.

"Good morning sleepyhead!" Xander said.

She smiled and sat up. "You got my message," she said.

"Of course," he said. "So you think there's a demon loose? Any sightings?"

"Not yet. I patrolled but didn't find any clues," she told him.

"Do you need us to send in a team to assist?" he asked. He always worried about her when she was in the field alone. She'd been in her hometown now for months. It was hard to keep his distance, but he knew she needed to be in her hometown without him hovering over her shoulder.

"What kind of slayer would I be if I couldn't handle one measly demon?" she asked.

"You know I'm looking for an excuse to come to the metahuman capital!" he replied.

"The Flash does seem to always be on hand to deal with anything big, but I don't know how he'd handle a demon," she remarked.

"Well, if he's handled guys that were stronger than him with powers he doesn't have, I think he'll probably handle himself fine," Xander said.

"Yeah, but he doesn't kill. He captures. Demons need to be killed," Patty pointed out.

"So you'll Scooby it out and make it toast!" Xander assured her. "Any idea who the Flash guy is?"

"No. Not really," she said with a sigh. "I'm convinced he's connected somehow to our police department, though. I suspect Joe knows something."

"Your partner?" Xander asked in surprise.

"Yes. He's the one who created the task force. The Flash has saved him a few times. He's always at crimes scenes saving people really fast," she said.

"Well, that is his thing, right?" Xander pointed out.

"Yea, but, how does he know so fast? I don't think he's psychic, too," she said thoughtfully. "As far as I know, none of the metahumans have shown that type of power."

"You know if the Flash comes upon you while you're fighting a demon, he might have some questions," Xander said.

"I've thought about that. He may just think I'm a metahuman. He may not need the full spiel," she said.

"Would that be better?" Xander wondered.

"Maybe. Joe treats me like I'm this fragile little thing. It's really annoying," she remarked.

"So you let him think you're just a meta," Xander said. "It's probably for the best. The poor guy has his hands full with all those crazy metas. He doesn't need to worry about the supernatural big bads that are out there, too."

"I think you're right. It might make Joe trust me more, too. Maybe he'll tell me who the Flash is!" Patty said, excited about the idea.

"You'll tell me, right?" Xander asked eagerly.

"Depends. Can you keep a secret?" Patty asked, giggling. It was nearly impossible for Xander to keep things from Willow and Buffy. Those two couldn't keep a secret to save their lives. They'd tell one person they trusted, who'd tell one other, and it was just a chain reaction of secret sharing. It made Giles crazy.

"I never told Willow it was you that broke her laptop that one time. I blamed it on Andrew," Xander pointed out.

She laughed. "True. You did keep a secret that _one_ time!" she acknowledged. "Okay, well, I need to get some coffee in me since I'll never get back to sleep now."

"Keep me posted!" Xander said.

"I will. Love you," she said.

"Love you, too," Xander replied. "Don't forget rule number one."

"Never," she said, hanging up.

Don't die was the most important rule after all.

****** _That Night******_

Patty tried to convince Joe that she could patrol on her own. However, he was convinced that there was a metahuman on the loose that was capable of tearing apart a human like it was nothing. He refused to leave her side. So he drove the car slowly while she scanned the streets, hoping and not hoping to spot the demon. It made her nuts that she didn't even know for sure what kind of demon that she was dealing with.

Her eye caught something. "Stop the car!" she ordered.

"What?" Joe asked.

Instead of answering, she jumped out of the car and shot down the road. Then she turned into the alley. It was dark, but there was just enough overhead light to make out her prey. It was a polgara demon. Its arm skewers had just stabbed someone.

"Stop!" she called out.

It threw down the body and faced her, letting out a challenging roar.

Since she was a cop, she pulled out he gun. "Police. Stop or I'll shoot!" she called out, going through the motions. Joe was a minute or two behind her. Her instinct was to hide the supernatural from him. However, he would assume the demon was a metahuman. It wasn't like she could freeze time and make Joe not see what he was about to see.

"Patty! What is it?" Joe called out, running toward her. When he saw the creature she was facing, he didn't hesitate. He fired his weapon several times.

"I don't think bullets are going to work, Joe," Patty said. Her instinct was telling her to press forward and attack, but she knew that Joe would go nuts.

Luckily, the demon jumped up and grabbed a fire escape ladder and slithered up it.

"He's getting away!" Joe exclaimed. He continued firing his gun at the thing.

"You're wasting your bullets," Patty said. "Go around to the other side and see where he heads. I'll climb up the ladder."

"Be careful!" Joe advised before taking off. He pulled out his phone to call Barry as he ran to the other side of the building.

Patty jumped onto the ladder, pulling it all the way down. She quickly moved up the ladder. The demon was running to the other side of the roof. Then it jumped to the building next door. Patty didn't hesitate, running at top speed. She flew across the roof, jumping after him and landing on the building next to it.

Joe, who was waiting on the other side, saw her and gasped. "She's done lost her freakin' mind!" he exclaimed.

Barry arrived. "Where's it at?" he asked.

"It's on the roof. Patty already went up after it," Joe said, pointing.

Barry didn't hesitate and raced up the building, stopping at the edge to take in the scene. He couldn't believe what he was seeing. His new girlfriend was fighting the large demon. She was fighting with skills he didn't know she had. When a roundhouse kick knocked the demon through air toward him, Barry was frozen in shock. How had she done that? Before he could he react, she ran toward the downed demon and snap its neck.

Barry wanted to take off his mask and run toward her. Instead, he walked slowly toward her. Using his vibrating voice, he said, "Wow! I guess you didn't need me after all."

Patty looked up. It was the Flash. Her heart beat faster. Xander was going to be so jealous!

"Oh, well, uh, I have a black belt in Tae Kwon Do," she said, hoping to convince him.

"Really?" he asked. "Are you sure that you're not a metahuman with superstrength?"

She laughed. "One lucky kick, and I'm a metahuman? Cool!" she said, trying to play it off.

Barry debated on what to say. How did he not notice his girlfriend had superstrength? Or was she just a really good fighter that got lucky?

"I'll take care of this meta," the Flash said, looking down at the body. He frowned. "What is this? I've not seen anything like it before."

Patty thought the city's superhero deserved more than a cover story. "Well, I'm not sure it was ever human. It looks kind of demony to me," she said slowly.

Barry blinked, not expecting her to say that. "A demon? You think it's a demon?" he asked.

Joe had made his way up the side of the building and heard Barry's remark. "So we have demon's now?" he asked with a sigh.

"I don't know," Patty said quickly. "I just think it's too weird looking to be a metahuman."

"Wasn't the sharkman pretty freaky?" the Flash reminded her.

"True," she conceded.

"Well, I get this to Star labs and have their people analyze it," the Flash told her. He bent down and lifted the very heavy demony meta.

"Can you handle it?" Joe asked, not sure Barry was strong enough. The thing was really big. And ugly.

"I got it," Barry assured him. With a grunt, he held on to the creature and sped away.

"So what happened?" Joe asked Patty. "How did you beat it?"

"I managed to knock it down and get the jump on it," she said. "The Flash finished it off." Of course, she couldn't know that Joe had a very personal relationship with the Flash and would learn the truth.

"That was very foolish of you," Joe said with disapproval.

"I managed just fine," she said flatly. His lack of faith in her was growing tiresome.

"You were lucky," Joe said sternly.

Patty didn't waste energy arguing. "Well, we should head back down," she said, turning to get to the ladder.

After they got down, Joe looked up one last time, judging the distance between the two buildings. "That was an incredible jump you made, though," he said, squeezing her shoulder. "Don't ever scare me like that again! I don't want to lose another partner."

Patty felt a twinge of guilt at the reminder that he had lost Eddie, a man she never met. However, she'd heard a lot of stories. Joe's daughter had loved him, so she knew that his death was very hard.

"I'll be more careful," she promised. It was nice that he cared so much. He was a good man. Since she was close to his daughter's age, she knew it was hard for him to not be overly protective. It wouldn't be fair to get upset with him. He just had a huge heart.

As soon as they went to the precinct to file their report, Joe slipped away to go to the lab.

"So what are they thinking?" he asked Barry. Caitlin and Cisco were arguing as they examined x-rays of the meta.

"Cisco is going with the demon theory, and Caitlin is arguing that demons aren't real," Barry said with a rueful smile.

"Are there demons on earth 2? Maybe some crossed over?" Joe wondered.

"Good question. We'll have to ask Jay or Dr. Wells," Barry said.

"Where exactly is Dr. Wells?" Joe asked, not trusting the man still.

"Somewhere," Barry said with a shrug. "So can you believe Patty? She was incredible."

"Yea, the jump between those two buildings was pretty insane," Joe said.

"She jumped between the buildings?" Barry asked in surprise.

Joe nodded. "Yes. She told me that you managed to take out the creature. Not as tough as it looks, huh?" he asked.

Barry blinked. "What? She told you that I killed it?" Barry asked in surprise. "I didn't lay a hand on it. When I arrived, she was fighting it like a ninja. Then she kicked it so hard and with such force it went air born and landed by me. I was so shocked that I just stood there. Then she pounced and broke the thing's neck."

Joe was stunned. "What? You're joking!" he exclaimed.

"No," Barry said.

Joe walked over to Caitlin and looked down at the creature. It had some type of pointing bone sticking out of its hands. Its neck was thick. "Caitlin, how much strength would it take to break this thing's neck?" Joe asked her.

"A lot," she said.

"Could you do it?" Joe asked her. She was close to Patty's size and build.

Caitlin laughed. "No way," she said.

"What if you had fighting skills? Would you still be strong enough to break a neck?" Joe asked, trying to figure out what happened.

"Contrary to what it's shows on action movies, breaking a person's neck is credibly hard to do. When people would be executed by hanging, it would sometimes take a while for the weight of their own body to snap their necks," she explained. "So no, I wouldn't be strong enough to do so. I don't even know if you or Barry could do it. A normal human neck, probably. But this," she pointed down at the creature, "meta has enlarged everything. I don't even know how it's alive. It's physiology is completely foreign to human. I just don't understand!"

"It's not human!" Cisco announced excited. "It's a blade demon!"

"A blade demon?" Joe asked, unable to hide his smile.

"Look at it's cool blades!" Cisco said, pointing to its hands.

"So Patty actually killed this?" Caitlin asked.

Cisco blinked in surprise and looked at Barry with a huge grin. "You're dating a metahuman!" he declared.

Barry frowned. It seemed that he didn't know Patty as well as he thought he did. What else was she hiding? He had his own big secret, so could he really fault her for her secrecy?

Joe shook his head. "How do we handle this?" he asked Barry.

"I don't know. I really don't," he said flatly.

"Looks like you both have secrets," Cisco said happily. "Maybe you should let her in on your own."

Barry wondered the same.

***** _Chapter End*****_

 _Well, I think I have another chapter or two to write. I figured if they saw Patty fight, they'd come to the logical conclusion. I'd love reviews for Christmas! ;)_


	3. Chapter 3

**This is the last chapter. I reserve the right to write more if the mood strikes me, however. I didn't intend for this one to be very long. I'm sorry if that disappoints you, but I hope you like this. Loosely based on a recent episode.**

Chapter 3: No More Hiding

 _******Two Days Later******_

Patty wasn't sure what to do. Barry seemed to be avoiding her for some reason, and she didn't know why. Then he suddenly disappeared out of town. Joe wouldn't tell her why he had to leave so suddenly. Patty wasn't sure why the two of them could not seem to give her straight answers. It was starting to piss her off. Sure, she had her own secrets. However, she wasn't going out of her way to constantly mislead both of them. It was becoming more and more apparent that both her boyfriend and her partner were hiding something.

She'd come across another polgara demon and was able to kill it without interference from Joe. As she was heading back to her car, she spotted a man who looked exactly like Dr. Harry Wells. There had been a call claiming someone else had spotted him stealing something at a lab, but since the man was dead, the claim had been dismissed. Now, though, she was looking at Dr. Well's double and knew something strange was going on. She decided to follow him.

When he went inside Star Labs, she was more than a little surprised. Silently, she followed behind him, staying out of sight. However, when he stepped out into the open, she pulled her gun.

"Stop!" she ordered. Caitlin Snow, a friend of Barry's, didn't seem surprised to see the man. This was becoming more and more of a mystery.

"Patty, he's not who you think he is!" Caitlin called out.

Patty hesitated, but when the man moved with something in his hands, her instincts took over, and she shot her weapon. "Oh god! What did you do?" Caitlin gasped, shooting her a look of anger.

"I shot a dangerous criminal that faked his death!" she insisted. She didn't understand what was going on here or why Caitlin, who she thought was a law-abiding citizen, was suddenly harboring a criminal.

"He's not the Wells you know!" Caitlin said, pulling out her phone and calling someone.

"I'll call an ambulance," Patty said, reaching for her own phone.

"You've done enough. Just go!" Caitlin said.

"Excuse me?" Patty asked in disbelief.

Joe appeared. "You heard her. You can go. I've got this," Joe told her.

Patty gave him an incredulous look. "You've gotta be kidding me! I just shot a criminal that it supposed to be dead! He's the reason your old partner is dead, right?" Patty asked. "Why should I leave? I have to file a report. He needs to be taken in."

"Look, Patty, you need to trust me. Go. I got this," Joe told her, giving her that look that broke no argument.

Patty was beyond frustrated, but she didn't want to push things further—not while a man was bleeding in front of them.

A few days later, Barry returned. He claimed that a friend in Star City needed his help. Patty debated on whether or not Joe would've told him about her shooting Dr. Well's. Finally, she asked, "Barry, you and Joe are really close and share everything, right?"

"Of course. He raised me while my dad was in prison," Barry said.

His reply made her upset. If Joe had told him about her shooting Wells, why hadn't he asked her about it? A bit sick of the deception, she prodded, "Did he tell you what happened with me while you were gone?"

Barry weighed his answer. He wasn't sure if he should explain the entire Earth 2 mess or not. However, how could be begin to talk about Wells if he didn't? "He told me that you shot a man dressed as Dr. Wells, who came into Star Labs," Barry said tentatively.

"Is the man alive? I'm his partner, and he's shut me out completely!" she complained.

"The guy is alive," Barry said without saying more.

Patty looked at him expectantly. When he remained silent, she exploded, "You know what, Barry, I'm tired of this! I really like you, but you obviously don't trust me at all. Not enough anyway. Joe treats me like I'm a helpless girl. He ignores police procedure completely, expecting me to trust him, yet he can't even give me even half the same respect. I might've killed a man, and he's said nothing!"

"You've kept a pretty big secret of your own," Barry countered. "You told Joe that the Flash killed the thing on the roof. But Joe talked with the Flash. He knows you lied to him. You want him to trust you? How about you be honest? Joe told me about the jump you made. He also talked to Caitlin about if a woman her size could break the creature's neck." Barry paused and gave her a pointed look. "How did you become a metahuman? You weren't in Central City when the explosion at Star Lab occurred."

Patty was taken off guard by Barry's questions. He had checked into her. Joe knew she'd lied. Guilt flashed through her. Then she realized what his questions had revealed. "Joe knows who the Flash is?" she asked in surprise.

Barry blinked. How did things unravel so fast? They were sharing a coffee before their shift, a previous innocuous activity. Now things were confusing and complicated. "Yes, he does," Barry admitted.

"Do you know the Flash?" she asked.

Barry nodded. "But I'm not sharing any secrets with you until you share what secret you're hiding with me," Barry said, having decided that he had to know her better before he told her who he was. She was hiding something. She had superstrength. If metas were being created outside of Central City, he had to wonder if she was sent from the other earth by Zoom. Was she even the woman he thought she was?

Patty was silent as she considered his request. "I'll think about it, Barry. Right now, I'm just not sure about anything," she said sadly. She got up. "Thanks for the coffee. I'll catch you later." Barry gave her a sad look but said nothing as she left the café.

Patty got through her shift without saying much to Joe. He didn't want to talk to her—that much was obvious. So why should she keep trying? Feeling hurt and weary, she called up Xander, sharing what had happened.

Xander listened without interrupting. Patty finally stopped. "Well, what do you think?" she asked. "What should I do? Should I tell him my own secret?"

"It boils down to this: is he worth the risk? If you tell him and he's the right guy, it will draw you closer. If he's not the right guy, he could be totally freaked and your relationship will be over," Xander said.

"I think at this point our relationship can't go on the way it is. We both know the other is not being completely honest. How can we have a real relationship with secrets and lies between us?" Patty wondered.

"You could have a completely physical one," Xander said with a snicker.

"You know I want more than that. I want a family someday. I want a man who I can share my life and heart with," Patty said.

"I want that for you," Xander said.

"Then I have to tell him," Patty decided.

"Are you sure?" he asked.

"I could love him, Xander. He's so great. He's brilliant and funny. He's got a huge heart. He makes me laugh," Patty shared. "I want him to be the one."

"Then tell him," Xander said. If the man ended up hurting her, then Xander would make him regret it!

****** _The Next Day******_

Patty approached Barry at lunch. "Barry, I think we need to talk. Can you take a drive with me after work this evening?" she asked him.

"Yea, I'd like that," Barry said, smiling at her. He really liked her, and he didn't want things to be over between them. She was the first girl besides Iris that he felt like he'd truly connected with.

Patty gave him a big smile. "That's great! I'll meet you at my car at five," she told him. She'd decided the telling should come with a showing, so she was going to drive him to a nearby city that was known to have a vamp or two.

They went through a drive-thru for dinner. Patty explained that she wanted to show him something. It would explain who she was. Barry was glad. He didn't want things to be distant between them. If she could share more about herself, maybe he could do the same.

"So, Barry, the world is older than you probably think," she began after they'd finished eating. She glanced at him.

"I know the world is millions of years old. Science has proven that," Barry said with a shrug.

"Well, life is older than you think," she said.

"There's records of human life back during the prehistoric era," Barry countered.

Patty gave him an incredulous look. No one ever said that to Giles! "Can you just listen without interrupting? We can debate details later," she said.

Barry gave her a sheepish smile. "Sure," he said.

"So demons used to walk the earth. Eventually, they merged with humans and vampires were created. They were like a plague. Some shamans created a chosen girl that they empowered with the essence of a demon to fight the vampires. She was super strong. Fighting was instinctive to her. She had accelerated healing. She was only fourteen or so. She was the first vampire slayer. When she died, another girl was called. This has gone on for generations. Most didn't live to see their eighteenth birthday. They were chosen to fight vampires, demons, and all the forces of darkness," she paused to glance at Barry. He was listening with a smile on his face. He thought she was telling a tall tale. Luckily, she'd arrived at their destination. She pulled the car into a spot and turned off the car.

Barry looked at where they were and laughed. "So you brought me to a cemetery? You're really getting into the spooky stories, huh?" he asked.

Patty gave him a small smile. "It's not just a story. I'm trying to share something with you. Something that is important and real about me," she said.

"Okay," he said, a bit confused but willing to listen.

"Every slayer called had a Watcher. Someone to help guide and train them. Someone to record all the things that happened. Several years ago, one of the last slayers called lived in Sunnydale, California, a home to the hellmouth—basically a gate way to hell. She was different than all the ones before her because she refused to follow the rules. She had a Watcher who was the same. He loved her like a daughter. He didn't interfere much when she shared her secret with two friends. One of her friends became a very powerful witch. Together, they saved the world more than once. The final time, though, they _changed_ the world. The witch made all potential slayers in the world slayers. They closed the hellmouth permanently, which turned Sunnydale into a crater," Patty explained. "After that, they went around the world collecting all the newly called slayers."

"Do you really expect me to believe all this, Patty? Do you believe all this?" Barry asked beginning to lose his patience with this story.

"Yes, I do," she said, getting out of the car. Barry followed.

"How could you? None of that makes any sense! If there were monsters and demons roaming the earth, people would know about it!" Barry said.

"People do know. Lots of them. Even the government—some branches anyway," she said. "I know it's true because I'm one of them."

"One of what?" he asked.

"I'm a vampire slayer," she said, facing him. "It's how I was able to kill the polgara demon—that's what it was. It's what I've been doing ever since my parents were killed by vampires when I was fifteen. That's when Xander and Willow found me and explained my calling. They took me to the hellmouth in Cleveland."

"What? You're a vampire slayer? That's crazy!" Barry insisted.

"But a man who can run faster than the eye can follow isn't? A man that can control weather isn't?" she pointed out. She began walking through the cemetery. Barry watched her pull out a wooden stake from the holster in her leg—the spot most cops kept a back-up gun.

"You have a wooden stake?" he asked in disbelief.

"It's the best way to kill a vampire," she explained.

"What, no garlic or holy water?" Barry asked sarcastically.

"Garlic doesn't do anything. Holy water and crosses do, though," she said, ignoring his sarcasm. "Civilians and Watchers use those. Slayers use stakes, crossbows, or swords. If you cut off their heads, they'll die."

"So you just walk around cemeteries and wait for one to appear?" he asked, trying to see how serious she was. She seemed deadly serious. Barry was beginning to think his new girlfriend had suffered some type of traumatic break from reality.

"They come out of graves. If you find them in cemeteries before they kill humans, it's always better," Patty said, looking around for movement.

"Okay, Patty, I've listened. It's time to go home. I'm sure we can find you a good doctor. There's got to be some kind of medicine that can help you think more clearly," Barry said very carefully.

Patty just shook her head. "I'm not crazy, Barry. I brought you here to prove it to you," Patty said. She said a hand break through a grave. "Stand back."

Barry looked and jumped back when a hand actually broke through the grave. He watched in disbelief as a body dressed in a suit broke out of the grave. Patty took a fighting stance. The man who came out of the grave had a deformed face. Barry assumed this was what Patty meant when she said vampire. He took another step back as Patty fought the thing. She moved like Oliver. He was more than a little surprised even though he'd seen her kill the demon thing. When she took the wooden stake and stabbed the vampire in its heart, it turned to dust.

"That is unbelievable!" he gasped. Cisco would die if he saw this!

She turned to him. "Everything I told you is true. The supernatural is real. Vampires are real. And I am a vampire slayer. That's my secret. Now you know everything," Patty said. She looked a bit nervous. "I hope that's okay."

Barry moved toward her, feeling guilty. "I'm sorry, Patty. I shouldn't have doubted you. I should know better than anyone that sometimes the impossible is real," he said. He pulled her close for a hug.

"So you're okay with it?" Patty asked, pulling back and gazing into his eyes.

"I think it's really amazing," Barry said, smiling. Then he kissed her.

"So I've told you my secret," she said. "When are you going to tell me what you and Joe are keeping from me? What's going on? Why is your friend Caitlin friends with a guy who is Harry Wells' double?"

"That's going to be a bit harder to explain," he said slowly.

"You can tell me anything, Barry," Patty said, giving him an encouraging smile.

"Well, you see…I'm sort of the Flash," Barry said.

Patty blinked. "What?" she asked, not sure she heard him right.

"I'm the Flash," Barry said with more confidence.

Patty tried to wrap her mind around his confession. It all clicked into place. She grinned. "That explains a lot!" she exclaimed.

Then Barry began telling her about the past year, unburdening himself in a way he'd never really done with another woman—not even with Iris. For the first time, he didn't have to hide who he was from her.

It felt great. It felt more than great.

It was perfect.

**** _The End*****_

 _I still cannot believe we got no scene of Patty asking Joe what the hell was going on, so this chapter worked out my annoyance on the subject!_ _I could've picked a more dramatic reveal, but I decided to make this more about the two of them than any other plot device._

 _Follow me if you want to know of any future stories. Thanks so much for reading, favoriting, or reviewing! I hope everyone has a great year in 2016!  
_


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